The boy who had accidentally bet on Hazuki was now sprinting at full speed through the dusty street, his little feet kicking up clouds of dirt with every frantic step. Clutched in his arms were the groceries—and more importantly, two gleaming gold coins jingling in his pocket.
"Mama!! Mama!!"
He burst through the door, nearly dropping the bag of vegetables in his rush.
His mother turned around, eyes narrowing in concern. "What's all that shouting about? Did you forget something—?"
"I-I won, Mama! I won!! I bet one silver coin on the crazy guy, and he won!! Look! Look!!" He held out the two gold coins with both hands, as if presenting treasure to a queen.
Her jaw dropped. "You what?! You gambled—?!"
"I-I didn't mean to!" he stammered. "I got pushed and dropped the coin, and they said I couldn't get it back!! B-but then he beat them all! All of them!!"
She stared at him in disbelief, then glanced at the coins again… and sighed, kneeling down to his level.
